Buddy's Ramp Must Come Down

I received a notice from my postman that
said in part " The ramp to your porch is a
safty hazard for your carrier to deliver
mail at this address.Either the mailbox
must be relocated or the approach to the
porch must be made free of obstacles by
Jan 7,2002 in order to continue mail
delivery" I have not received any mail for
the last 3 days. Although Buddy can now use
the stairs, I wanted to leave the ramp up
for awhile longer, thinking everytime he
uses it puts that much less stress on his
knees & hips. Geeze, the guy has to step up
3 paces up the ramp to the mailbox.
I can see maybe if it were snow or ice
covered it could be a problem later on.
Anyway, since I could not move the ramp by
myself, I hired someone to dismantle it
and store in in my garage.Really cold temps
that we've had lately make Bud's joints
stiffen up (Mine too), and I had hoped to
leave it up a little longer. Oh well, thanks
for letting me vent. Liz.

Geeeeeeeez!!! I'm trying hard to picture the set up Liz, but how hazardous could a ramp possibly be??? As in "sliding down" as in snow or ice?? Here on the Cape they will not deliver mail to your door. Rural post they call it! Well, the box is at the road and the carrier drives up and drops the mail in. Imagine my shock when I received a notice of similar tenor, stating that it was MY job to fill in and repair the road asphalt that had eroded away due to the constant wear and tear caused by the MAIL TRUCK pulling up to the box! How bizarre is that! They said they would not deliver any more mail until I fixed it! Right, I should go lay asphalt and tar! Ha! I went nuts, called the town, and the nice man there said not to worry that they would "fill it in." I hope that taking the ramp down doesn't set Buddy back in his recovery! I feel your pain Liz! :D

Thanks Sandra,
I think your situation with the road at
the mailbox was more outrageous than having
to remove Bud's ramp. Glad you made the call
& got the proper response.In government,
state or local level, sometimes "the right hand dosent know what the left is doing".
The ramp is not dangerous & did not go up
the porch stairs at an high angle; but in
fairness to the mailman, I could see that
later on when we start to get snow or ice
storms, it could be a hazard; but then so
can the steps themselves be hazardous..
Buddy noticed something different right
away when we went out for this morning's
walk. He had no trouble at all going down
the steps or back up when we came back.
So I don't think this will hold him back
at all. It's just the way the guy went about complaining about something he had seen
since last July and never said a word to
me about it.

That really is a shame as I know Buddy is one of us in the "mature years". The ramp would have probably been very useful to him later on. Hopefully it won't be too much of an ordeal to reconstruct it should he need it again.

We have the mail delivery to the street as well. The problem here is keeping the area free and clear of snow. You shovel by the mail box and then the snow plow comes through and completely undoes what you have shoveled. Then you get *the notice* or no mail.

Oh Liz, I can't believe it would be such a problem for him to walk up a couple of steps on a ramp, poor Buddy it would be a lot better for him to use it for a while.
A while back we didn't get mail for a week because the mailman said there were too many loose dogs around in the neighborhood, I don't know where they all went, I didn't see them. It seems not many people will make the effort any more, don't want to go that extra mile. Buddy is getting along in age with the rest of us and I think most of us have those aches and pains now that it's cooler. You give him a nice big hug from Daisy, Perry and me.
Jackie

First off, I sympathize with you totally! An older dog needs all the help we can give it.

Couple of questions -- are you sure it's been the same carrier?? They bid on routes twice a year and you may not have the same carrier you had before.

How wide is the ramp? Could it be, say, half the width of the steps on the side away from the mailbox?

What is the possibility of moving the mailbox to the bottom of the steps? Then, the old rat wouldn't have to climb the stairs at all or worry about the ramp (by old rat I mean the letter carrier!).

I've carried the mail (almost a year -- most boring job I've ever had), and find it hard to believe that this person should have such difficulty with a dog ramp, especially when it's been there since July. That's why I asked if you're SURE it's the same carrier. Maybe you could talk to him/her???

What about putting carpet strips or lathes on the ramp, so the mail person won't slip and fall on his/her a**?

When I carried the mail, it wasn't the dogs I was concerned with, but the cats lying on the porch so innocently until you reach to pet them and then they rip your hands to shreds! Only had problems with two dogs in a year and one was trying to sneak up behind me across concrete with long nails -- didn't work! The other jumped a fence and I was fending it off with a handful of mail. Fortunately, the owner was home and called the dog in. Must have been pretty funny to see! Good luck with this. It too shall pass.

Thanks guys! I'm glad you didn't think I
was being silly for wanting to keep the
ramp up awhile longer.
Ktreva52, Found out yesterday when the mail
was finally delivered that, no, it was not
the same carrier that I've had for the past
six or so years.In a way , that actually
made me feel a little better about it b/c
the old carrier was a friendly sort of
person. Always spoke & had a smile for Buddy.
About the width of the ramp.It was more
than 1/2 the width of the steps & on the
same side as the mailbox.When delivered &
set up it was not the specifications that
I had asked for, but it was put up by well
meaning friends and was ready immediately
when I first brought Bubby home from the
vet hospital after his knee & CL surgery.
It was a lifesaver, as noway could Bud have
made it up the steps.Had to stop several
times just walking him from the garage out
back around to the ramp on the front steps.
It would have been very ungrateful of me
to complain about the width or placement
at the time.I did ask the guy who removed
it to plan on cutting back the width &
placing in next to railing away from the
house.Can't work on it now as he doesn't
have a heated garage to work in.
The ramp has always had carpet remnents
nailed down over the wood for traction.
Lastly, I don't have a mailbox attached to
the house but rather a mail slot that drops
the mail directly into the living room.Just
lift the slot cover & slide the mail in.
I could buy a mail box & post and have that
installed at the bottom of the stairs, just
to darn cold outside(single digits with wind)
to get anybody to work on it now.
Thanks everyone for your thoughts & ideas.
Hugs from Buddy & liz.

A bit of Good News that I didn't mention before;

When Buddy was a the vet's this last time for his
walking problems, the vet happened to ask me if
if Bud was still using his ramp? When I explained
the situation with the postal carrier, he couldn't
believe it either.The vet said he knew someone who
could help me out. Buddy's ramp is back up(for free)
and has been cut to 2ft width & placed against the
porch railing away from the mail box.
Buddy's happier, I'm happier and have not heard any
complaints from the postman. Is that a "full service"
Vet or what ? LOL.

What wonderful news! So great! Thanks for the update, you've made my day so much brighter to get this great news. Thanks, and yippee for the person who installed it for you!

:D

That is the most heartwarming end to a bad story!!! :D

I'm so happy for your Buddy and for you. Thanks to a wonderful vet for making life easier for all of you!!! :)

That should make Buddy feel better! So glad you were able to put the ramp back.

Wow! That's so wonderful! I'm so happy for Buddy!!!!!! Thank you kind people!:)

That's great news Liz. Now everybody is happy:D
Isn't it wonderful to have such a great vet! I know some that would do more for their furry patients than my own doctor would do for me.

You got that right, Albea! And Liz, I am so glad that the Bud Man can take it a bit easier going out and coming in] Good things can happen for good boys.

Liz, you are so blessed to have such a good vet for Buddy. That is one of the most amazing things I have ever heard of a vet doing and I am so happy with the outcome. That vet deserves good things! I am sure Buddy is so much more comfortable, too. Gosh, what a happy ending to this messy situation :)